This invention is directed to front loading dishwashers and, more particularly, to a panel arrangement for blending the appearance of the dishwasher into its surroundings, such as the cabinets in a kitchen.
In general, domestic dishwashers are built into a niche or recess in the cabinetry of a kitchen. It is desirable that the front of the dishwasher, which is exposed and can be seen by people in the kitchen, have panels or other finished surfaces which compliment or blend in with other parts of the kitchen. The two most widely used approaches are to match the front of the dishwasher to other appliances, such as a refrigerator or a range, and to match or coordinate the front of the dishwasher with the cabinetry of the kitchen. When coordinating or matching other appliances thin panels painted the same color as the other appliances are used as the front surface members for the dishwasher. On the other hand kitchen cabinets normally have wooden doors and other exposed surfaces made of wood or other relatively thick decorative material. To coordinate with such cabinets the front panels of the dishwasher need to be wood or other suitable material so as to have the same appearance as the cabinets. Some efforts have been made in the past to provide dishwasher structures that could accommodate wooden panels to match wooden cabinets. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,958,911 issued on Nov. 8, 1960, to Given, et al illustrates and describes one such dishwasher door structure. As typified by Given, et al, such prior art dishwasher door structures necessitated the use of relatively thin wooden panels. For example, such dishwashers normally include a door pivoted about its lower edge portion and a second stationary panel mounted across the dishwasher below the door. Since the door pivots and the lower panel is stationary a gap must be provided between these two members to accommodate the pivotal movement of the door. The thicker the door construction the wider the gap necessary in order to accommodate the movement. Very quickly such a gap becomes unsightly and detracts from the appearance of the dishwasher. In many newer homes and newly redecorated kitchens the cabinetry is more upscale and involves the use of thicker doors. Using correspondingly thicker panels on the dishwasher in order to match the appearance of the dishwasher to the cabinetry exasperates the problem of accommodating both a moveable door and a lower panel.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a dishwasher having an improved front construction.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a dishwasher in which thick panels, such as wooden panels, may be selectively used.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a dishwasher in which the construction of the front of the dishwasher is adapted for selective modification of the appearance panels after the dishwasher has been shipped from the factory.